Random News Stories

[Cain]

Wasnt he Korean?

[Junkenstein]

Articles where you get everything you need from one paragraph:
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/aug/12/burger-king-apple-pie-man-hero-villain-mother-child

"This kid was out of control, screaming, punching his mother, throwing around a Game Boy whenever something didn't go right in the game," Burger King Pie Man wrote. "The mother didn't seem to pay any attention to him and his continued yelling of, 'I want a fucking PIE!'" But then inspiration struck. As he reached the front of the queue, Burger King Pie Man decided to spite the boy by ordering every single pie in the entire restaurant – 23 in total – before sauntering out with them, the anguished screams of the child's mother ringing triumphantly in his ears as he left.

I've said for a while that spite is one of the most powerful forces in the world. I keep seeing evidence to support this.

[Junkenstein]

Hey Cain, is this stuff about a Saudi motorcade being robbed of 200K worth a closer look? Certaintly seems fairly bold and those with means/motive/opportunity can't number in large amounts. ISIS related?   

[Cain]

Probably not, since it was in Paris.  Getting people over there and setting it up would cost ISIS more than they would get.  Plus, they'd likely behead a Saudi Prince, given the chance.

I suspect the French police suspicious are correct, unless they're covering for the Saudis.  Eastern European, former military commandos, working to hire for an organised crime faction - likely a Mafia syndicate based in southern France or Italy.  Some Saudi Princes have been known to be closely associated with organised crime figures - but those figures were American, and they were very well known Saudis besides.

[Junkenstein]

Fair points, just seemed unusual. That said, whoever's done it has enormous balls. It's not a move you make expecting to live a long and prosperous life from afterwards. For 200K? That's either an idiot score or something else/more has gone missing as well.

Or ex-military commandos are a lot more affordable than I thought. That could give a man ideas.

[Cain]

Eastern European commandos get paid shit.  Their military pensions aint worth the paper they're printed on, and even private security firms mostly use them in order to intimidate their western employees into accepting lower wages.  I think the Romanian commandos Blackwater hired were paid around $1-3 dollars an hour, based on experience.

[Telarus]

Hadn't heard of that, thanks.

Oh, the "Affluenza" family is back in the news:
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/crime/dad-affluenza-teen-arrested-impersonating-article-1.1910374

[Junkenstein]

Eastern European commandos get paid shit.  Their military pensions aint worth the paper they're printed on, and even private security firms mostly use them in order to intimidate their western employees into accepting lower wages.  I think the Romanian commandos Blackwater hired were paid around $1-3 dollars an hour, based on experience.

Everyone kick in £20 RIGHT NOW. Don't ask questions.

[P3nT4gR4m]

Dude, I'll kick in 20 fucking K if you can offer even 10% ROI and a Doge mention on national news 

[Junkenstein]

More is optional but I personally guarantee better than 10% ROI and your political office of choice.

For 20K, sweet lord, the things I could accomplish. $3 X12(hour shift) X4(guys) x2(second shift) x7(week)- $2016.

This is hilariously affordable. I know what I'm doing the next time I've got a security requirement. 

[Junkenstein]

I have a huge urge to make a kickstarter or somesuch for "Hiring of Ex-commandos for deeds"

[Junkenstein]

Hey Cain:
https://news.vice.com/article/i-am-the-person-who-handed-over-el-chapo-a-vice-news-exclusive?trk_source=homepage-in-the-news

Possibly of interest:

In mid-April I received a call out of El Paso, Texas, from a doctor who urgently wished to speak with me as a journalist. "I am the person who handed over El Chapo Guzmán," the voice on the line said.

It's not exactly recent, but I've not looked at Vice for a while. Seems like a solid piece.

[Cain]

That treatment the doctor had would in no way make me enthuasiatic to hand in any other high ranking members of the Sinaloa Cartel, if you know what I mean?

[Junkenstein]

Yes. Key quote:

Scalpel's opinion might not be too far from reality. A former DEA agent, on hearing Scalpel's story, labeled the informants as essentially "disposable."

"If they're revealing information to you and the DEA, they're most likely also exchanging information with the drug traffickers," he told me. "We cannot trust them completely, even if they're valuable."

There's something in my head relating this to treatment of whistleblowers in general, but that's probably idiot paranoia.

[Junkenstein]

The "Fuck YOU" files, #44222GH/2:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/formula1/28893869

Formula 1 chief Bernie Ecclestone has said he wants to run the sport for "as long as I can" after paying £60m to end his three-month bribery trial.
In his first major interview since he avoided a possible 10-year prison sentence, Ecclestone, 83, said he always believed he would walk away a free man.
"I'm not scared of anything to be honest with you", he said.
"It never bothered me because I knew I was innocent."
Ecclestone went on trial in April, accused of paying German banker Gerhard Gribkowsky £26m to ensure that CVC, a private equity company he allegedly favoured, could buy F1, and he could remain in control of the sport.

He continued: "I was never bothered about the jail sentence because I was sure it wouldn't happen. The system in law is pretty fair. Every now and again they get things wrong but normally, unless there's some political motive, it's all ok.
"I know most people say the prisons are full of innocent people but I wonder if that's true."

Innocent people don't wait until they're on trial and have seen the prosecutions evidence in full before offering another fucking bribe.

When asked why he felt the need to pay a £60m settlement in order to walk free from Munich's district court, Ecclestone said: "Because there's a system in Germany which allows you to do that. It gets rid of things.
"It could have gone on. If they'd won, I'd have appealed. If I'd won they'd have appealed. It would have gone on until next year. I just had to pay to get rid of the case, that's all.

Words fail me. I mean, I'm trying to think of something suitable but all I've got is abuse and amazement. The man has more value to the world as compost than an oxygen thief.